Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-02-19
DRIFT.


thinker, . more erudite scholar, and more On.
tsstalning writer than John Fisks, in this
country or In any other, have never come
across him. These qualities appear equally
In overy one Of the nine volumes which he
hss thus fer published. They arc markedly
present IN the two large volumes Of "Cosmic
Philosophy" with which he has enriched
American philosophical literature, and in
which he has succeeded In giving the easen.
tlals of Norbert SpeLcei's system OF philOoo.
ply in 90 clear and entertaining form - 70
make them easily COMPREHENSIVE aud inter.
esting even To the ordinary reader, who
would have neither patience ~ read NOR
ability to understand Spencer's own work.
These two volumes alone would he enough
10 establish his reputation ~ ono Of the most
remarkable thinkers and workers In the
country.
HIS wide range Of scholarship II perhaps
best displayed In bi, four volumes OF essays
aud reviews. When only q youth Of nine.
teon he wrote tho best cfitique Ut Buckles
"History OF Civilization In Europe" that
has ever been written, and which the judg-
mont Of the world In tho twenty and more
years that have since elapsed, has fully con.
hrmed. His numerous historical papers
uuVO klVou nun " pTOuttnout ptoC0 otuOuK Iu0
leading historians Of our literature. He has
made contributions to the science OF oduca-
ton, Of philology, paleontology, comparative
religion, sociology, to art, criticism, folklore
and 10 theology, for ~ such his Z" Destiny Of
Man aud his Idea OF God I" must DO nc.
counted ributions which have given
him . position OF authority 10 nearly every
one Of those departments Of knowledge. The
darkest subject becomes light and bright un.
der his per. A true Nj les, he turns to gold
whatever he touches.
! HAVE just been looking through one OF
this writer's most interesting volumes,
though 1t IN one ni his earlier ones, too for
"My this and Myth.Makers" was published
In 1872, and has since passed through nine
editions 1t Is published by Houghton,
Mifllln * Co, who, believe. publish all of
Fiske's works. with the one exception Of
" American Political IIeas," which IL from
the pref Of Har,er & Bro hea "Myths and
Myth-Makers Is a series OF studies, after the
scientific method, ana In tho form OF essays
and reviewr, OF such important and interest.
ing subjects as The Origin OF Folklore, The
Msidens, Light and Darkness, Myths of the
BArbsric World, Juventus Mundi and The
Primeval Ghost-World. 1t IL wonderful
what Q mass OF strange and curious lore the
author has gathered together into this vol
ume how his literary skill and grace have
thrown an added charm over the whole and
how clearly II all serves to illustrate and sub
stantiate his main proposition that the origin
OF all true myths was the attempt OF the
primitive human mind TO explain the phe-
nomena OF inanimate nature by attributing to
them the qualities and char actsristics Of ami.
mate, and especially OF human, nature To
use hrs own words, Uncultured man, by
the best use he can make OF his rude COM
mon sense, must inevitably come, and has
in variably come, to regard all objects a. en-.
dowed with souls, and all nature ~ peopled
with superhuman entities shaped alter the
general pattern OF the human soul"
Don't intend, however, to discuss this
theory, which is by no means accepted by all
mythologists 1 only want to refer to few
OF the supers,itions, sayings, remnants of an.
Client my tbs, that are woll known to all Of ua
and to point out tnsir origin and original sig.
nihcance rs given by Prof. Fiske.
AMONG tho most ianciful of early myths
were those relating to the moon, its changes,
It's spots, &c. Relics Of the most widely
known are embslmed In literature from
Dante down to Mother Goose. According to
the former the spots IN the moon are nothing
else than Cain expisting there the murder OF
Abel Cbaucer makes the man in the moon
not = murderer, but thief, who ~ punish
ment has been placed there, and forever
must carry thorn bush on his back. Shake
speare gives the poor thief dog for a com.
pAnion. According to the old German say.
ing, he Is a man who WAS caught breaking
the Sabbath ty gathering sticks, and who
now must stand there perpetuAlly with the
bundle of sticks on his back, as q warning to
all Sabbath breakers. Another version gives
him as companion another Sabbath. breaker,
a woman who churned butter, and therefore
must now ever carry her butter-tub upon her
back. These ersions however, are all com.
paratively modern. Much older, probably,
and more familiar 10 all Of us, Is Mother
Gooses version, which is none other than
"Jack and Jill went up the hill
To get II pail oil water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
sno III came tunbltng after"
In lcelandic mythology Jack and jill, or
Juki and Bil, were two children whom the
moon once kidnapped aud carried up to
heaven. They had been drawing water in
bucket, which they were carrying on pole
across their shoulders; and in this attitude
they stand to the present day. Even
now" says Prof. FIske, "this explanation Of
tho moon-spots IL to be heard from the
mouths Of Swedish peasants" They fall
away one after the other, as the moon wanes,
Jack falls down and Jill comes tumbling
after. Their water pail symbolizes tho sup.
posed connection OF the moon with rain and
raiuy weather. There Is not q doubt In fact
that this venerable nursery rhyme IL q relic
OF TINS OLD myth.
We all are acquainted with the old super
stition which believes that the howling OF .
dog under the window, or anywhere near
the house, Is a sure sign that some one in
that house is going to die. i know more
than one person who has enough faith In this
notion to turn pale and tremble and bs sorely
disturbed in mind, II at night dog sh ould
chance to howl before the front door. Now
the origin OF this superstition, to which 20
many still are more or less subject, Ia moth.
ing else than this Among our Morse ances.
tors the roaring, wailing wind was the god
Oiin In one OF his characters, AZ among the
Greeks 1t was Hermes or Orpheus with his
magic Tyre. But Odin aud Hermes were
both "psychopomps," who enticeu and DO re
away human souls out of their bodies. Now
rs the human soul often was symbolized by
rat or mouse 30 the psychopomp often was
represented AS a dog. " Sarameias,n says
PROT Fiske, the vedic counterpart OF Her
mos and Odip, sometimes appears invested
-, ina aNs tk,..sn